Fairpoint Peninsula

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Fairpoint Peninsula
Navarre Peninsula, Gulf Breeze Peninsula, or Santa Rosa Peninsula
Offshore water bodies Pensacola Bay, East Bay, East Lagoon, and the East Bay River (North)
Santa Rosa Sound (South)
OperatorVarious municipalities, county-governed unincorporated areas, and census designated places

The Fairpoint Peninsula, [1] also referred to as the Gulf Breeze Peninsula or the Navarre Peninsula [2] or historically the Santa Rosa Peninsula, [3] is located in northwest Florida between Santa Rosa Sound (the location of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway's route through the region) and Pensacola Bay.

Contents

History

In 1559, Tristan de Luna arrived in Pensacola Bay with 500 Spanish soldiers. The first settlement was abandoned due to diseases, disasters and hostile natives, but other Europeans followed. In the late 1700s, the British occupied the peninsula and named it Town Point.

In the 1910s, before widespread development, turpentine production was widely present on the peninsula. [3]

By the early 1930s, bridges between Pensacola and Gulf Breeze and Gulf Breeze and Pensacola Beach were completed. The current route of U.S. Highway 98 was also completed, operated as a toll road between 1939 and 1946.[ citation needed ] Gulf Breeze's namesake was established in 1936 when the Gulf Breeze Cottages and Store opened a post office branch where Live Oaks Plaza now stands.

The Naval Live Oaks Reservation was the home of America's first experimental tree farm, established by President John Quincy Adams in 1828. It was established to provide raw material to support shipbuilding for the Navy in the area. Today, Naval Live Oaks is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, a unit of the National Park Service.

Communities

Based on the most recent censuses, and estimates, these are the communities located on the Fairport Peninsula, with their populations (if known):

The following communities are adjacent to the peninsula, and are sometimes considered part of the Fairpoint Peninsula region, or are considered to be a part of one of the larger communities on the peninsula:

Related Research Articles

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Santa Rosa County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2020, the population is 188,000. The county seat is Milton, which lies in the geographic center of the county. Other major communities within Santa Rosa County are Navarre, Pace, and Gulf Breeze. Navarre is the most populated community with a population of approximately 45,000 residents. Santa Rosa County is included in the Pensacola Metropolitan Statistical Area, which also includes Escambia County.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf Breeze, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Gulf Breeze is a city in Santa Rosa County, Florida. It is a suburb of Pensacola, and is in the Pensacola Metropolitan Area. The population estimate was 6,900 in 2020. Gulf Breeze is located just north of Pensacola Beach, and south of Pensacola. Gulf Breeze is on the Fairpoint Peninsula, and is bordered by Navarre to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pensacola Beach, Florida</span> Unincorporated Community in Florida, United States

Pensacola Beach is an unincorporated community located on Santa Rosa Island, a barrier island, in Escambia County, Florida, United States. It is situated south of Pensacola in the Gulf of Mexico. As of the 2000 census, the community had a total population of 2,738. It has been described as "famous" for its ultra-white sand beaches.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navarre, Florida</span> Census-designated place and unincorporated community in Florida, US

Navarre is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Santa Rosa County in the northwest Florida Panhandle. It is a major bedroom community for mostly U.S. military personnel, federal civil servants, local population, retirees and defense contractors. Due to Navarre Beach and the 4 miles (6.4 km) of beach front on the Gulf of Mexico thereof, as well as several miles of beaches within the Navarre Beach Marine Park and the Gulf Islands National Seashore, it has a small, but rapidly growing community of nature enthusiasts and tourists. Navarre has grown from being a small town of around 1,500 in 1970 to a town with a population estimated at 43,540 as of 2020, if including both the Navarre and Navarre Beach Census Designated Places.

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Santa Rosa County District Schools (SRCDS), also known as Santa Rosa County School District, is the organization responsible for the administration of public schools in Santa Rosa County, Florida. The district currently administers 15 elementary schools, seven middle schools, six high schools, and a K-8 school, as well as a number of specialized centers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pensacola Bay</span> A bay in the northwestern part of Florida, United States, known as the Florida Panhandle

Pensacola Bay is a bay located in the northwestern part of Florida, United States, known as the Florida Panhandle.

Santa Rosa Sound is a sound connecting Pensacola Bay and Choctawhatchee Bay in Florida. The northern shore consists of the Fairpoint Peninsula and portions of the mainland in Santa Rosa County and Okaloosa County. It is bounded to the south by Santa Rosa Island, separating it from the Gulf of Mexico.

Oriole Beach is an unincorporated community located in Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States on Santa Rosa Sound. It lies east of Gulf Breeze on the Fairpoint Peninsula, and about three miles north of Pensacola Beach. Oriole Beach is part of the Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pensacola metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan statistical area in Florida, United States

The Pensacola metropolitan area is the metropolitan area centered on Pensacola, Florida. It is also known as the Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) used for statistical purposes by the United States Census Bureau and other agencies. The Pensacola Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area was first defined after the 1960 United States Census, with Pensacola as the principal city, and included Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Ferry Pass and Brent, which are unincorporated census-designated places in Escambia County, were added as principal cities after the 2000 Census. The population of the MSA in the 2020 census was 511,502.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Live Oaks Reservation</span> United States historic place

The Naval Live Oaks Reservation is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, and is near Gulf Breeze, Florida. It was purchased by U.S. government in 1828 as the first federal tree farm and began operations January 18, 1829. It serves today as part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore forest community preserved by the National Park Service on January 8, 1971, and added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on September 28, 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida State Road 399</span> Highway in Florida, United States

State Road 399 is a state road in Santa Rosa County, Florida. Although it only extends 0.32 miles (0.51 km) from U.S. Route 98 (US 98) to the Bob Sikes Bridge, County Road 399 continues over the bridge, along Santa Rosa Island, and back to US 98 via the Navarre Bridge. Other segments of CR 399 also exist on the mainland.

Midway is an unincorporated community in southern Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area. The area is located between the communities of Gulf Breeze and Navarre, on the Fairpoint Peninsula. Midway is often considered to be part of one, if not both, of these communities. Its actual boundaries vary from source to source, but unofficially include most areas from the intersection of Soundside Drive with U.S. Highway 98, eastward until Highway 98 becomes Navarre Parkway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pensacola Pass</span>

Pensacola Pass, separating mainland Florida from Santa Rosa Island, is the mouth of Pensacola Bay. Pensacola Pass forms a water passage that connects Pensacola Bay with the Gulf of Mexico to the south, in the U.S. state of Florida, east of the Alabama/Florida state line. The surrounding area is heavily developed, with high-rise condominiums. However, there are nearby beach-front parks, with Fort Pickens on the eastern side of Pensacola Pass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida's 3rd House of Representatives district</span> American legislative district

Florida's 3rd House District elects one member of the Florida House of Representatives. The district is represented by Jayer Williamson. This district is located in the Florida Panhandle, and encompasses part of the Emerald Coast, as well as parts of the Pensacola metropolitan area and the Crestview metropolitan area. The district covers the most of Santa Rosa County and the top half of Okaloosa County. The largest city in the district is Navarre. As of the 2010 Census, the district's population is 158,797.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Gulf Breeze Story". cityofgulfbreeze.us. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
  2. ↑ "Santa Rosa County Budget FY2018" (PDF). Santa Rosa County Government: Office of Management and Budget. Santa Rosa County Office of Management and Budget. 2018.
  3. 1 2 Bingham, F.F. (1991). Rucker, Brian; Woolsey, Nathan (eds.). Log of the Peep O' Day: Summer Cruises in West Florida Waters, 1912-1915 (1991 Reprint with Contextual Footnotes ed.). Baghdad, Florida: Patagonia Press. ISBN   9781882695034.
  4. ↑ "Power of the Precinct | Navarre Press". navarrepress.com. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
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